Dolphins And Whales At Risk From Offshore Seismic Testing In Atlantic Ocean, Group Warns [VIDEO]

Seismic air guns, which generate underwater blasts of noise used in offshore oil and gas exploration efforts, can cause widespread harm to whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine life, according to Oceana, an international ocean conservation group, seeking to curb the practice as the U.S. considers more offshore drilling.

A recently released report by the group states that seismic air guns used along the U.S. East Coast will "injure and possibly kill 138,000 whales and dolphins" and cause disruption for millions of other sea creatures.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the government is considering whether to conduct offshore seismic testing from Delaware to Florida - an area twice the size of California. Officials state there are 1.9 billion barrels of oil and 21.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas potentially able to be extracted offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, the Sun reported.

But Oceana contends that using the seismic air guns to explore for those resources will threaten marine life. The group is urging federal officials to deny applications for oil and gas exploration off shore or that testing be limited and use less disruptive methods.

Oceana claims that during the exploration process ships towing seismic air guns shoot loud blasts of compressed air through the ocean every ten seconds around the clock for days or weeks on end.

"Imagine a rocket being launched out of your living room every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, for days to weeks at a time. You could go deaf or be forced to move. That's what it's like for sea life that is subjected to seismic testing, but unlike in people, a deaf whale is a dead whale," said Matthew Huelsenbeck, report author and marine scientist at Oceana. "Serious effects to hearing can kill whales and dolphins that critically depend on their ability to hear in order to feed, navigate and care for their young."

The group also claims that drilling for oil and gas will disrupt tourism and commercial and recreational fishing operations, putting more than 730,000 jobs at risk in the blast zone.

"With minimal oil reserves there, and drilling at least five years off, seismic testing is an unnecessary insult to whales, dolphins and other marine animals. Drilling in the Atlantic won't lower gas prices; it will instead lead to more oil disasters and more dependence on fossil fuels. Focusing on developing cleaner energy sources would be more strategic for our country and more sustainable for our oceans," said Jacqueline Savitz, deputy vice president for U.S. campaigns at Oceana in a statement.